australian television information archive

A Grrrl's Best Friend

Friday, October 06, 2000
Written by Mac Gudgeon
Directed by David Cameron

Somewhere in this city, a mad bomber is causing havoc. An animal research laboratory explodes and the security guard is trapped in the rubble. Margaret O'Halloran, the legendary Dog Woman and Kelty, her famous tracker dog, are called in to the rescue. Kelty not only sniffs out the injured security guard, he notices another distinctive scent. The scent of the bomber.

But this time there's more at stake for Margaret than solving a crime. At the police debriefing, canvassing the range of possible suspects, one photograph stops Margaret in her tracks. Her young cousin, Varna O'Halloran.

Varna is a young woman on an environmental mission. She has a heart the size of a whale, and a body shape to match. To discover whether her cousin is connected to the bombings, Margaret plunges herself into Varna's unfamiliar world of political correctness, polymorphous sexuality and ambiguous odours.

She meets Varna's girlfriend, the ethereal beautiful Maya, the bumbling but well meaning Matt Hayduke, and the hard line ideologue, Jim Morgan. Each of these three are suspicious in their own way. Margaret tries to get Kelty to track that mysterious scent again but his response is baffling. For a moment, it looks like Matt might be the bomber, then Maya, but then the scent mysteriously vanishes.

Margaret's investigation is taking its toll on her relationship with Brian. He's trying to set up a meeting between Margaret and his parents visiting from Sri Lanka. But each assignation is thwarted by Margaret's preoccupation with Varna. If Brian turns away from Margaret, who will he turn to? Her sister, Pauline?

The closer Margaret gets to the truth, the worse things look for the foolhardy Varna. Another bomb explodes. This time, someone is killed. It's no longer a game. It's murder. And all indicators point to Varna, who is arrested for murder. Another bomb is ticking, and it's going to go off. This time, Kelty's life is endangered, and this time, not even Dog Woman can come to the rescue!

Cast:

• Magda Szubanski as Margaret O'Halloran
• Tara Morice as Pauline O'Halloran
• Raj Ryan as Brian Jayasinghe
• Tiriel Mora as Superintendent Brodziak
• Alicia Gardiner as Vorna O'Halloran
• Kathryn Cole as Claire
• Simon Lyndon as Matt Hayduke
• Robert Menzies as Dr Jim Morgan
• Troy Woodcroft as Bill
• Gandhi Macintyre as Mr Jayosinghe
• Arianthe Galani as Mrs Jayosinghe
• Stuart Baker as Detective Davidson
• Peta Brady as Parsley
• Dawn Klingberg as Pearl
• Matt Norman as Security Guard [Nigel]
• Peter Mendoza as Caretaker (Neddy)
• Suzanne Brenchley as Claire's Mother
• Geoff Gaskill as Claire's Father
• Anne Vercoe as Female Cop
• Marc Carra as G.A.F. Member
• Matt Trihey as Darren The Bouncer
• Alicia Ruberto as Little Marg
• Callum Carothers as Little Brian
• Amanda Sandwith as Police Officer
• Sonya Veronica Iskander as Chinese Princess
• David Gordon as Young Feral
• Thomas Bromhead as Video Shop Assistant
• Greg Saunders as Phil O'Halloran
• Mark Mitchell as Prologue Narrator
• Tracy Mall as Stunt Double
• Warwick Sadler as Stunt Double
• Davin Taylor as Stunt Double
• Graham Jahne as Stunt Double
• Rusell Allen as Stunt Double
• Lance Anderson as Stunt Double
• Mark Campbell as Stunt Double
• Patricia McCracken as Margaret Stand-In

Canine Cast:

• Blue as Kelty
• Forrest as Jack
• Bob as Sampson
• Conan as Rory